


Comfortably Bound

by Axel_Knochenmus



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Banter, Discussions of BDSM, Fluff and Crack, M/M, be gay do crimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 04:24:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17860232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axel_Knochenmus/pseuds/Axel_Knochenmus
Summary: Juno, Vespa, and 'Arsenios Byron' walk into a BDSM dungeon... What happened next with shock you! (with delight)





	Comfortably Bound

Juno groaned when he came to. His bad shoulder was throbbing something awful from the angle it was smashed against the floor, and his head didn’t feel much better, even with the softness of the carpet on his face. He started a mental tally: Tied up, high-quality silk rope, can’t sit up - tied up  _ really  _ well, someone pacing nearby, unintelligible mumbling so they’re probably stressed about what to do with them, slight heat behind him, probably one of the others, a different warmth brushing against his shins, that would be the other one.

Juno, Vespa, and ‘Arsenios Byron’ were at a dungeon on Kerberos. It was a front, the owner was smuggling the kinds of unsavory packages to make Valles Vicky think twice about the business. The thieves were being paid very handsomely to steal proof so that the local something or other could come in and shut it down.

Getting in was easy. 

Getting into the special stockrooms was harder, but manageable. 

Getting caught was…. A problem.

Juno pried his eyes open. Peter was looking at him with concern from where he was trussed up by Juno’s legs. Huh. Now that was some fancy ropework. It was actually kind of... pretty. The red looked good on him. Juno filed that information in the back of his mind for another time.

Craning his head around, Juno finally caught sight of their captor. Over 6 feet of Amazonian power and grace, Desmond was the rising star domme of the Tartarus Dungeon, and she was staring at him with the inquisitive fire of someone who wanted answers, and wasn’t going to accept anything less. Behind her was one of the cases they’d found in the stockrooms. Shut, but not locked, so she had to know what it was. He could have been wrong, but he was pretty damned sure she was scared of it.

“ _ There _ ,” She gritted out, “He’s awake. Now, you’re going to tell me what the hell you trespassers are doing snooping around here, and  _ then  _ we’ll figure out what to do wi-”

Juno cut her off with another groan. “Oh, please, if you’re going to lecture us about crime and punishment, I’d really rather be on my knees for it. I have an old shoulder injury and, let me tell ya, your floor is not doing it any favors right now.”

Desmond raised a carefully impassive eyebrow at him. “Why should I care?”

“Because I thought you’re supposed to be good at your job, yet here I am, dealing with the bad kinda pain. And, you didn’t even ask my safeword.” Juno sighed, adding a petulantly irritated: “I can’t move into a better position like this. Do I have to say please? Or do you prefer people beg for basic comfort?”

He saw the flicker of a crack in her facade, and, really, Juno had worked with a lot less than that. He tried to shift into at least a slightly less painful position, but the ropes weren’t really allowing it. The wince of pain on his face wasn’t faked, either, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t something he’d been counting on.

Desmond exhaled with frustration, walking over to kneel in front of him. “If you try anything-”

“Really doesn’t matter because I’m not planning it.”

She slid one hand under his torso, and the other by his knees to move him. For a moment, Juno was pretty sure he wasn’t touching the ground at all. Which was honestly kind of impressive; no wonder she was so popular. “Thank you,  _ madam _ ,” Juno muttered, half on instinct. He adjusted his stance when she moved back to something he was more familiar and comfortable with. He felt the ropes behind his back at the same time, but, sadly, Desmond clearly knew her work well enough to not use one of the knots with an emergency release. Oh well, a lady could dream.

Juno rolled his shoulders to work the muscles, looking around to realise he was being stared at. By everyone. Vespa was looking at him with exhausted bemusement, Desmond with open confusion and realisation, Peter with... Delighted surprise and intrigue? He had no idea where that was coming from. “... What?”

“I-...” Desmond folded her arms. “You’re  _ actually  _ a sub.”

Alright, so they’re going there. “Yes? I know that’s not a question, but I don’t get what that has to do with anything.”

Desmond opened her mouth, then closed it. Eventually, she shrugged. “I guess I just didn’t expect that from a, what, thief?”

Juno rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure a lady’s sexual deviances have no real bearing on their profession. Mine haven’t changed that much since back in the academy, that’s for sure.”

“TMI, Steel,” Vespa muttered. “Are you really talking this out with the person who’s got us captured  _ in the middle of a smuggler’s den?” _

“Academy?” Desmond’s voice raised slightly. “So, you’re a cop?”

“Ex-cop. You had it right the first time- ow!” Juno glared at Vespa, who’d headbutted him in his still painful shoulder. “Would you cut that out!”

“I didn’t realize that being submissive meant you’re stupid, too!”

“Oh, come on, you knew I was an idiot long before this happened.”

Peter just laughed while shaking his head.

“That’s enough.” Juno’s gaze snapped back to Desmond, who was in full domme attitude, hoo boy. She stepped closer, reaching out to angle Juno’s face to meet her own icy gaze and leaning in to fill his sight. “So, you  _ are  _ criminals. Now, tell me why you’re here.”

Now, Juno was  _ only  _ human, so forgive him if he found it kind of hot. Even with Peter right there next to him, practically carrying Juno’s heart in one of those seemingly endless pockets of his. Or Vespa, who admittedly probably did not need or want to know the kinds of things Juno got up to back in his days. There was a part of him that would have gladly submitted to someone like Desmond. Hell, it was her job to be the kind of attractive that you wanted to submit to. When it got down to it though, he was Juno Steel, and when had he ever made things that easy?

He didn’t realise that he’d stopped breathing until he spoke, the word a little breathless and strained. “Turbo.”

Desmond pulled back, confused. “What?”

“Turbo,” Juno repeated. “It’s my safe word, which you didn't know because this isn’t a scene, Desmond. And I’m not one of your clients, so I’m not going to roll over and do whatever the fuck you say. Hell, I hardly even did that too easily when I _ was _ the client.”

The venom in Juno’s tone startled the domme, who dropped her hand and stepped away. “... Fine, I’ll just call the police and turn you all in.”

“Do you really think that’s going to change anything?” ‘Arsenios’ drawled, eyes falling to an easy half-mast. “ _ Please _ , we’re just as much professionals at this as you are at your work.”

“What the hell else am I supposed to do!?” Desmond snaps back. She jabs a finger in the direction of the case she’d brought back to the room with them. “I’m assuming you’re after this, and I can't in good conscience let you have it.”

“But you can let the people your boss is shipping it to have it?” Juno countered.

“That- !” Desmond growls, muttering to herself “What the hell!? Why do we even-”

“Technically respectable, but socially taboo businesses like this make a great smuggling front. I would know: Mars had a similar operation, though she never dealt in anything this heavy.”

“And what, exactly, am I supposed to do about you?”

“Hire us,” Juno grinned. He could feel the curious confusion from Peter and Vespa, but, as long as they went along with it, they could talk about it later.

Desmond stared at him, baffled. “Excuse me?”

“You’re worried about losing your job, and and the jobs of everyone else here that’s being used to cover up  _ that _ . Like my partner said, we’re professionals: that means we get paid to do our jobs. Hire us to steal this place for you. Once it’s yours, you can shut down the operation yourself, and turn it over to the authorities. Then you can run the place and make sure it’s exactly as reputable as you’d expect a dungeon of this calibre to be.” Juno leaned back and gave a shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Easy enough, isn’t it?”

“How exactly do you plan to steal an entire-”

“Don’t overthink it,” Vespa cuts in. “It’s not as hard as you think, and it doesn’t involve moving the building at all.”

“Although,” ‘Arsenios’ mused, “I  _ have _ done something like that before.”

“And I’m just supposed to trust you?” Desmond asked, folding her arms sternly.

“Desmond,” Juno starts. “When a new client asks you to do something to them while they’re helpless during a scene, and they’re paying you for that service, aren’t they just trusting you to do what you said you would beforehand?” He lets that sit for a moment. “Isn’t it pretty much the same thing when you hire anyone to do, well, anything?”

Desmond nods her head, acquiescing his point. “Exactly how much would I be paying you for this?”

“Ahhh,” Juno looks between the others, who kind of just look at him like ‘you started this, so you figure it out.’ Peter at least seemed more encouraging about it. “Honestly, that one’s out of my hands. We’d have to bump that particular discussion to our leader. I, however, wouldn’t mind replacing my portion of that with a set of these ropes – Where did you get them, by the way?”

He heard Vespa make a short, strangled noise before Desmond responded. “Oh, they’re imports. The third cluster of Saturn’s rings has a specialty seller, Ariadne’s Threads. I’ve yet to find a better quality ropes in the System.”

“ _ Nice, _ ” Juno mutters. “And you studied Kinbaku-bi, right? You didn’t go all out just for us, but it definitely shows. These ties are way too pretty for a regular setup.”

“... Most people don’t notice that influence on the simpler works.”

“Most people don’t get tied up as much as I do. In  _ and  _ out of the bedroom.”

Peter made his own strangled noise at that one. Vespa just sighed. “Really?”

“I really don’t know what you’re expecting from me at this point, Vee.”

“You know what, I don’t either.” She turns to Desmond. “If you’re decided on the job, you’ll have to release us so we can make the call to set up the details.”

It took a moment, Desmond drumming her fingers on her elbow, before she finally exhaled. “Alright. I’ll do it, I guess.”

“Oh, good,” ‘Arsenios’ hums, pulling his untied hands from behind his back. “If you could be a dear and untie Vee, then. I’ll take care of Desirée.”

“Desirée is _ not _ your real name,” Desmond objected, already working on Vespa’s bindings.

Juno sighed. “It’s not, but, I’ve given up on talking him out of these things.”

Desmond released Vespa rather quickly, pausing to eye the two of them. “Do you need any help?”

“No, no, the two of you go on ahead and call the others. We’ll be fine.” ‘Arsenios’ smiled with bland interest.

“Just leave them to it,” Vespa suggested. “He knows what he’s doing, usually. Where did you put our stuff?”

“Just over here-”

Juno watched the two women head across the room to a crate not far from the case they’d been here to steal, waiting til he was sure they were distracted before turning his attention to the man fiddling with the ropes behind him. He dropped his voice low enough so only Peter would hear him. “Nureyev.”

Peter angled his head slightly, murmuring back, “Yes, Juno?”

“You’re not untying me.”

“No, I’m not. You seem comfortable.”

He kind of was, honestly. Juno let his eyes fall closed and he leaned back into Peter’s hands. “I trust you.”

Peter’s breath caught, one hand moving away from the ropes to the back of Juno’s neck, fingers slipping into his hair. “You really shouldn’t say things like that in a situation like ours, love.”

“You knew I was an idiot long before this happened,” Juno echoed himself, grinning.

Peter laughed. “We will have to revisit this… trust of yours, later. This wouldn’t be the most appropriate timing if we’re supposed to not be leaping into everything headfirst again.”

“I guess I’ll live with that.” Juno’s voice was colored with mock disappointment. He’d been in no more of a hurry to rush things than Peter was, both hanging onto the fragile hope that they could make it work without dragging each other down into disaster.

“Aren’t you done, yet?” Vespa cut in. Apparently, they’d already finished their call with Buddy.

Peter’s hands fell away, and the ropes with them. “You can’t rush a master, Vee. That’s how you get imperfect results.”

“I’m doing it anyways,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We’ve got another job to run, so let’s get to work.”

**Author's Note:**

> FYI Juno does get Desmond's comm coordinates and they text sometimes.
> 
> (I wanna know why when I went to edit this to fix a typo damn near everything deleted, what the hell)


End file.
